Shuri Oak
Shuri Oak is a neutral, previously antagonistic, secondary character of the 07-ghost series. He first appeared at the Barsburg Military Academy, and was Teito and Mikage's classmate, the former of whom he used to verbally bully due to him being a sklave. Shuri is the son of Wakaba Oak and the younger first cousin of Hakuren Oak. He was the president representing the students in the military academy, but among the Black Hawks he is disliked and seen as a nuisance. He became a member of the Black Hawks after his graduation, but has not yet joined in the anime. After the death of his father, Shuri ceased to antagonise Teito, the main protagonist, because Teito helped him at Wakaba's funeral. Etymology Shuri's name may come from Shuri castle in Japan. Shuri castle was the palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and may allude to Shuri's(the characters) family's wealth. In Japanese, "repair" is pronounced as "shuuri". Appearance Shuri appears as a boy in his mid-teens and appears to be the same height and weight as Mikage, who is 5 foot 5 and weighs 51 kg. Shuri has a slim build with an angular face, a small nose and a small mouth with full lips. His skin tone is quite dark compared to his light colored hair, his hair being pale blonde, neck length, and parted to the right, almost falling over his right eye. Shuri's most notable features are his large, bright blue eyes, with long black eyelashes, particularly on his bottom lid, and the red studs he wears in his ears. Earrings appear to be a family tradition of some sort, as Wakaba Oak also wears earrings. Shuri wears the Barsburg Military cadet uniform, consisting of a black, or dark blue, thigh-length tunic with long sleeves and a neck guard. He wears black trousers and knee-length back boots and white gloves similar to the other military cadets. His uniform has golden trimming on the shoulders, chest, sleeve cuffs and neck guard and he also wears a gold belt. He also has gold shoulder boards on his right shoulder and a small version of the Barsburg Military insignia over his left shoulder. In the manga, after he has graduated from the academy, he wears the standard military uniform, which consists of an ankle-length overcoat with a small half-mantle over his left shoulder with an enlarged version of the Barsburg Military insignia. At his belt there is a rather large and ornately decorated sabre, though his skill in using a sword in a real battle is questionable. His black trousers, knee-length boots and white gloves stay the same. During Princess Roseamanelle Ouka Barsburg's masquerade ball, Shuri wears the appropriate noble clothing, and a mask. ShuriCadet.png|Shuri in his cadet uniform. Personality Shuri is arrogant, stubborn and spoilt. As his parents have over-protected him by preparing everything for him and solving all the problems for him, he has developed the habit of calling for his parent(s) (especially his father), whom he mistakenly thinks can cause anything to change (e.g "I am neglected/belittled by everyone in the Black Hawks. I will tell Papa!", "I am Ayanami-sama's Begleiter now, because Papa has said so."), whenever he faces difficulty or has troubles. He breaks down in stressful situations (e.g on the battlefield in Antwort and when asked to kill a prisoner during the graduation exam) and asks for help. He is frank and childish. He cries easily (e.g when he sees dead bodies the first time), become nervous or frightened easily (e.g when he said he didn't want to share a room with Teito and Konatsu responded with an angry face, Shuri instantly hides behind the door and said Konatsu looks frightening). He doesn't hide his anger, fear, like, dislike or sadness. He says how he thinks/feels (e.g that he likes Konatsu and wants to be like him; that he thinks it is a humiliation to stay with Teito in the same room) or the fact (e.g the Chief of Staff's ship is small compared with the field marshal's) outright most of the time. He enjoys being praised and dislikes when people he doesn't like (e.g. Teito) receive more attention than him. As he comes from a very wealthy family, he easily finds that things are not up to his standard, such as he doesn't have his own office in the Black Hawks, or the Black Hawks's aircraft is small compared to his father's. He can often act in a stupid or naive way. After he announces that he is Ayanami's new Begleiter, Ayanami asks "Who brought this rubbish on board?" Shuri agreed with Ayanami (not realizing that the rubbish Ayanami was referring to is Shuri). Relationships Family and relatives Wakaba Oak: Shuri has a very good relationship with his father, possibly because he is much loved by his father. Unlike his cousin, he respects and trusts his father completely and does what his father wants him to do, be it to take military as his career or to go to the Black Hawks. At Wakaba's funeral, Shuri cries his heart out on top of Wakaba's dead body and won't let go of the coffin, having to be forcibly dragged away by two soldiers. (manga chapter 75) He is very reliant on his father emotionally (e.g. his father hugs him after a teary Shuri comes back from Antwort; when Shuri is left alone in the battlefield, he also cries and calls for his parents) and career-wise. Shuri's Mother: 'It seems that they have a good relationship too, as Shuri calls her "mama" and when Shuri feels helpless in Antwort he also calls for her. 'Hakuren Oak: 'They enjoy mocking each other and seeing the other party look defeated.Drama in the 12th Animate DVD. '''Other Oak members: '''Shuri doesn't approve of quite a number of them, as he implies that the Oaks present at Wakaba's funeral are people who only think of their own gain. (manga chapter 75) People in the military 'Ayanami: Shuri has a lot of respect for Ayanami, using the honorific "sama" when addressing him, and being very pleased with his role as Ayanami's begleiter. He appeared egger to please Ayanami, as he immediately agrees with him when Ayanami asks: "who brought this trash on board?", whilst being unaware the 'trash' is him. Hyuuga: 'When traveling to Antwort, Shuri was thrown off the aircraft by Hyuuga. However Shuri did not complain to his father when given the chance. A plausible reason is that he doesn't want to make things difficult for Konatsu. 'Konatsu Warren: Shuri likes and respects Konatsu. He considers Konatsu his idol, as he is a skillful swordsman and has saved him on the battlefield. Shuri has said that Konatsu is the epitome of his ideal soldier and he wants to be just like him. Shuri also considers Konatsu an elder brother figure (as arrogant as Shuri is, he uses "o-nii-sama" (respectable elder brother sama) to address him. However, after Wakaba's death, Shuri may no longer regard Konatsu highly, as he observes those who don't care about his father coldly and looks down on them, and it is obvious that Konatsu doesn't care about Wakaba's death. Teito Klein: Shuri often verbally bullied Teito about the fact that he (Teito) had been a sklave or that he was 'a pet' of Chairman Miroku. Possible reasons are that he (coming from the second highest social class) dislikes those coming from the lowest social class (slaves), or that he was jealous that Teito received more attention or better treatment from the chairman than he did. After graduation, Shuri met Teito in the Black Hawks and they shared the same bedroom. Shuri said it was a humiliation that Teito was his room-mate (manga chapter 72), and both Shuri and Teito requested a change in room-mate, but Konatsu rejected it. In manga chapter 75, their relationship somewhat improved, after Teito hit the soldier who was dragging Shuri away from Wakaba's corpse. Later, Teito was seen sitting beside Shuri, who curled himself up and buried his face in his own elbows. In manga chapter 80, their relationship improved to the extent that they even chatted at Ouka's birthday ball. Shuri still occasionally insults Teito, but without any malice, and Teito seems less easily offended by Shuri's insults. Other soldiers: Because Shuri was the field marshal's dear son, it appears that many soldiers respect (or dare not disrespect) Shuri on the surface, as they call him Shui-sama manga chapter 75, and the major general in the First Fleet says Shuri-sama when he congradulates Wakabaeven though Shuri is much younger than them or/and his rank in the military is lower than theirs. Some of them think Shuri is troublesomemanga chaper 75, while some of Wakaba's subordinates seem to care about Shuri to a small extent (one of Wakaba's subordinate doubts if it is good to let Shuri stay in a group of Warsfeil, the Black Hawks) manga chapter 26. Others Mikage Celestine: When Shuri verbally bullied Teito, Mikage would mock Shuri back. In manga chapter 75, when Teito asked if Shuri knew to which unit Mikage was assigned, Shuri coldly said "I have no reason to know things related to proletariat like you guys, haven't I?". In fact, Shuri was in very low spirits when he heard of Mikage's death. According to Karein Celestine, Shuri and Mikage were childhood playmates. Shuri said he doesn't understand why he is in low spirits, and Teito's view is that Shuri likes Mikage too. (manga chapter 76) 'Kokuyou Celestine: '''Shuri says "ただいま” (a greeting one says to one's family (usually) when one returns home, literal meaning being "Hello, I'm back") to Kokuyou when he returns home. Kokuyou smiles at and is very polite to Shuri, giving him compliments to which Shuri once replied "I'm always splendid!" like a child, (manga chapter 75), so it seems that they have a good relationship. 'Roseamanelle Ouka Barsburg: '''As the representative of the God House of District 2, Shuri Oak is one of the wooers of Ouka. (manga chapter 80) However, Shuri says he does not want to be the husband of the empress-to-be at all. Abilities and Attributes When he appears on the Black Hawks's ship, Shuri has a large sabre at his belt (the fact that it looks relatively large can be due to the fact that Shuri is not tall). His ability with using a sword in real battles is questionable. Zaiphon Because he was in the Military Academy, and shown taking the graduation exam, Shuri can be established as a Zaiphon user, despite not being seen using a Zaiphon in the series so far. Shuri was said to have scored high marks on the simulations, showing that he has some skill with handling his Zaiphon. History Childhood Shuri was born into the prestigious and wealthy Oak Family. His father is Marshal Wakaba Oak, the army's field marshal after Miroku. Though Shuri's mother has not appeared in the series yet, it is likely that she comes from a prestigious family too, as Wakaba's brother has said that it is important for a male member of the Oaks to find a good (family background considered) marriage partner.Kapitel 63. It is likely that Shuri is the only son (or the only son who is alive) of Wakaba Oak, as he is the one who decides the guests to be invited to Wakaba's funeral (manga chapter 75), and in a mini-drama he said that he is the next head of his family. Years in the academy When in the academy, Shuri Oak routinely verbally bullied Teito and Mikage probably because he protects Teito. One incident (appeared only in the manga) involved him telling Mikage to clean his shoe, and when Mikage refused and walked away with Teito, Shuri provoked him by saying, "the so-called 'servants' are my family's slaves. Slaves flock with slaves, I see", which resulted in Teito punching him in the face. Appearances Manga synopsis Pre-begleiter exam Shuri first appears as a student in the Barsburg Military Academy, where he is president of the class, being shown giving a patriotic speech before the other students as well as the higher ranking officers. He next appears in a lecture hall where Teito and Mikage are among his classmates. Shuri is shown taking pride in his ability, with his friends praising him, saying that they think he will certainly pass the graduation exam. His friends flatter him by saying that the military has come to recruit him specifically. After hearing Teito explain that he has an exemption from practical lessons, Shuri mocks Teito on being 'Chairman Miroku's favorite pet' for the special treatment he receives. However, he is then promptly humiliated in front of his classmates and his teacher by Mikage who uses his Zaiphon to make the porn that was under Mikage's desk appear in Shuri's hand, making it look as if Shuri has been reading porn during class. During the Begleiter exam Shuri's next appearance is in a waiting room, ready to take the Begleiter exam, where he notices that he is on team A, the same team as Teito. He expresses disbelief that he is on the same team as a sklave, and he and Mikage exchange banter till they are called into the arena to take their final exam. Once they are in, one of the teachers explains that their final exam is to kill the criminal, saying that if they abandon their allies or fail to kill the criminal then they will fail the exam. Shuri attempts to put on a confident front, eager to be the best candidate, but he doesn't know how to react after he realizes the criminal is much stronger than they are, and sees the criminal send his friends flying. He panics and frantically begins to bang on the glass, screaming to the examiners for help. This behavior leaves the examiners unimpressed, Ayanami commenting 'how unsightly', which apparently ruins his chances of passing the exam and graduating. The criminal sees him in his state of distraction and attacks him. However Shuri is saved by Teito, who elbows him out of the way. Due to his failure to kill the criminal and his abandon of his team mates, he should have failed the exam, but the manga shows that because his father is a high-ranking officer and is respected in the Barsburg Empire, he is able to graduate and join the Black Hawks as Ayanami's Begleiter, much to the latter's annoyance. Trivia *In the manga, a fox/cat's tail and ears appears on Shuri's head and back when he acts in a childish way.Kapitel 25 and Kapitel 72. *In the manga, stars or flowers are often seen around Shuri or when he makes an appearance.Kapitel 25 and Kapitel 72. *Since Shuri is a Zaiphon user and was in Teito's class, in theory, Shuri was one of the candidates for the Eye of Mikhail. However, practically speaking, it is unlikely that Shuri is intended to be a candidate for the Eye, since Marshal Oak, Shuri's father, know that such candidates will be used for cruel experiments that can cause them trauma or/and their lives, so, he will definitely use his power in the army to protect Shuri from becoming a candidate for the Eye. In Kapitel 8 page 19, Castor says the army was "stocking up" on children to use as vessels for the Eye of Mikhail once it had been found. *Shuri likes bergamot tea.Manga chapter 76. *Shuri tells Teito that if he is to marry, he wants to marry someone who is cute, more stupid than he is, loves him the most and flies to him like a little bird. He does not want to marry someone who is more intelligent than he is, because he will appear more stupid than before in people's view.Manga chapter 80. 'Extras' related trivia *There are ten servants, four toilets and three baths in the house where Shuri lives.The mini-drama titled 名門の意地 (literally translated as "The disposition/pride of members of the prestigious family") in the 12th Limited Animate DVD, Shuri and Hakuren competes with each other and they even compare the number of washrooms and servants in their house. *Shuri comes from the senior branch of the Oak Family while Hakuren comes from the cadet branch. *Shuri sleeps well and eats well.An omake in the manga. *When Teito Klein killed Buran, he destroyed a part of Shuri's house. According to an omake in manga vol.13, what Teito destroyed at the Oak House and a chandelier Ayanami destroyed cost 3.4 billion Yuus. *Shuri plays a role in the drama CD titled ''07-Ghost - 7th District ''in 2009. Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Military members Category:Male Category:Secondary characters Category:Begleiter Category:Human Category:Neutral Category:Nobility Category:Alive